Couldn’t make it to one of the Museum’s Science Cafés or lectures? Now you can listen to podcasts of past presentations on your computer, in your car, or in the gym!

Designer Genes? Genetic engineering in the age of CRISPR

April 11, 2018

New technology makes gene editing easier. Its use is being explored to correct diseases caused by genetic mutations, to fight cancer, and even to learn about human evolutionary adaptations, and its potential is amazing. We'll explore the capabilities and research that CRISPR Cas9 gene editing brings, as well as its ethical, legal, and social implications.

Jody Platt, Assistant Professor in the Department of Learning Health Sciences at the U-M Medical School

Daniel Thiel, doctoral student at the U-M School of Public Health and Department of Sociology

Thom Saunders, Director of the U-M Transgenic Animal Model Core

Postcards from the Anthropocene

March 21, 2018

Human beings have changed Earth so extensively that geologists now propose renaming our current epoch as the Anthropocene—the era defined by people. Human influences are apparent in the shape of landscapes, the extent of biodiversity, ocean chemistry, and our climate. We will explore the history of human influence on Earth and the ideas driving the concept of the Age of Humans, taking time to discuss consequences and implications for our future world.

Julia Cole, U-M Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Naomi Levin, U-M Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

An Archaeology of Migration

January 24, 2018

What are the stories of contemporary Latin American migration, and how do we uncover them? What can these stories tell us about borders, their impact, and the struggles of many families to find a new life? How can such stories inform policy and/or political action?

Jason De Leon, U-M Department of Anthropology

What Cost, Basic Research?

November 8, 2017

Basic science research seeks to improve our understanding of the world, without any direct, obvious application. Much of it is funded by government grants, including those from the National Science Foundation. That funding may soon face cuts. A discussion on how much we spend on such research, what the rationale is, and what the implications of such cuts might be.

Meghan Duffy, Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Kristin Koutmou, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry

Oil and Soil: The Forces of Climate Change

October 4, 2017

A discussion on the politics of oil, water, and food production and how they are deeply intertwined with human-caused climate change and political upheaval, especially in the Middle East.

Jennifer Blesh, Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability, U-M School for Environment and Sustainability

Juan Cole, Professor of History and Director for U-M Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies

Sponsored by Science for the People and MC²: Michigan & the Climate Crisis which is presented in conjunction with the Bicentennial LSA Theme Semester.

The Human Era: Living in the Anthropocene

September 28, 2017

Today's geologic era—the Anthropocene—is dominated by human activity. In this talk, Ben van der Pluijm explored the impacts of a growing human population and our increasing needs for resources, such as food, water and energy, and solutions toward a thriving human society in this new era.

Has Particle Physics Fizzled?

November 16, 2016

In 2012, physicists at large particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) found evidence of the Higgs boson, long predicted by the Standard Model in physics. But since then, they have yet to find evidence of other predicted particles.

Dante Amidei, U-M Professor of Physics

Aaron Pierce, U-M Professor of Physics and Director of the Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics

The Bristle Mammoth Discovery

January 27, 2016

In the fall of 2015, a farmer near Chelsea discovered part of a mammoth skeleton and donated it to U-M. U-M scientists discussed the excavation and early research on the Bristle Mammoth -- named for Jim and Melody Bristle on whose land it was found.